Page 33 of The Oath We Take

“Yeah. Well. Tonight, I do. I lost my phone. I’ll explain later. Just…please…have your book club at my place tonight. I’ll provide good wine. You bring baked goods, and I’ll love you forever.”

“Fine. But this is weird.”

I huff. “Tell me about it. What’s the book you’re reading?”

“You’re gonna speed read it?”

“Enough of it so that it looks like I read the whole thing.”

“Fine. It’sFuryby Laurann Dohner. You’re gonna hate it.”

“Why’s that?” I ask.

She chuckles at that. “Because I love it.”

“Urgh. If it’s some weird vampire-romance thing?—”

“Rule one-oh-one of book club is that we don’t yuck other people’s yum. But no, it’s not vampires.”

“Phew. I’ll see you later then.”

“For sure. Have fun reading about men bred with animal DNA to become warrior super-soldiers.” And with that, she hangs up on me.

Men bred with animal DNA to become warrior super-soldiers.

What the hell.

I put the phone down, grab two bottles of Sauvignon Blanc from the cooler, and run back upstairs to the apartment. As I step inside, I hear the water switch off.

I shove the bottles in the fridge before the bathroom door opens. It annoys me that he didn’t even lock it.

Was he hoping that I would…?

Was I being predictable even thinking about it, earlier?

The steam comes first, and Atom swiftly follows. There is a dark gray towel hung low on his hips that does little to hide the outline of his cock, which hangs long and to the left.

Life is shockingly unfair.

His bicep flexes as he runs a second towel over his hair. His body is a delicious combination of tanned skin and detailed ink and chest hair, which I secretly love—I’m so over the perfectly smooth chest that many women favor.

Then I think of Quinn’s words.We don’t yuck other people’s yum.

I’m gonna have to remember that.

I’ve seen those deep V-muscles that disappear beneath the towel and the rack of abs that have to be seen to be believed before. Atom has no issues taking off his shirt at club cook outs.

Lord knows, I’ve seen plenty of club girls fall over themselves to get a closer look at him with their tongue instead of their eyes.

Bitches.

God, and now I’m being catty. They’re not that bad, all things considered.

But it all makes me just a touch insecure that they hold more value to him than I do.

Water droplets sit on his collarbone and shoulder. “Left my clothes in my room,” he says.

“I noticed. And it’s my room.” I circle my finger around in the air. “All this is mine.”

---